but, to quote our dear friend Thombeau, is it for you?
This Monif C creation (truly, could it be anyone else?) reminds one a bit of the sadly fallen Galliano’s brilliant final Spring Couture show for Dior, itself a reference to the house’s 1953 Tulip Line collection. Except not.
I love it. On *her*.
Comment by Liz — June 27, 2012 @ 2:23 pm
This could be an illustration for my imaginary thesis entitled “why the fashion industry totally blows when it comes to plus size clothing”
Things that do not look good on my personal cello shaped self (note your mileage may vary)
1. sleeveless
2. high neck hiding neck and shoulders
3. satin (nuff said)
4. exaggerated butt
Comment by Thea — June 27, 2012 @ 3:11 pm
Well It’s a lot of look I give you that.
Comment by Ravna — June 27, 2012 @ 4:05 pm
I find myself wondering what it looks like when not hip-shot. I find myself wondering what it would look like moving down a runway as opposed to a lady who looks rather like she went to the school of Stiff-as-a-Board Modeling (soon to be accredited) and got top marks in Wonky Angle 101. Also, part of me wants to know what the rest of that neckline looks like when not obscured by hair. Perhaps it’s a compromise between the fashion industry and Big Girls who want sleeves everywhere. “You want sleeves. Fine…you can have one sleeve and we’ll do a strap on our side.”
Comment by megaera — June 28, 2012 @ 5:42 am
Seriously, that type of shape was invented to create hip curves on a body bereft of them. The off the shoulder “wilma flintstone” neckline also enhances a tiny, tiny bust because it makes the bust look bigger. When the neckline is supposed to be kept in place by a strap, the strap is supposed to look delicate, not “honkin’ big”. Nothing about the cut or design of this dress actually flatters a woman’s curvy and generously sized body–but it would look great on a woman who is very tall, with a thin, athletic body (broader shoulders than hips, waist that does not really taper much). So why is it that someone would simply cut a large size of it and try to sell it to a plus sized hourglass or pear shaped woman, on which it will do nothing but exaggerate what needs no exaggeration?
I think a lot of dress manufacturers for plus sizes are producing under the delusion that “the big girls want to dress the same way the smaller girls do”. So that is why we are seeing the most wildly unflattering clothing out there. Spaghetti straps for women who need to wear serious bras; sleeveless cuts for women who need the warmth, proportion, and sometimes cover, that sleeves provide; asymmetrical cuts that are again made to create the illusion of width for those who have none, such as those ballet sweaters. If you have a big bum, that cut will visually increase the size of it so that it is wildly disproportionate to the rest of your body.
It’s not true that plus size girls “want the same clothes” that “regular” sized women can wear. Plus sized women want clothes that flatter the curves and shapes they alone have, so that they don’t feel uncomfortable or look like their clothing is unsuitable. I think we want the opportunity to look great, like other women can and do, but the clothes have to be designed around our actual bodies, not some one’s idea of what we should look like. There are plenty of ways to cut fabric and create designs that do just that.
Comment by ChaChaHeels — June 28, 2012 @ 10:09 am
I have a friend who would look good in this. She’s the inverted-triangle shape: broad shoulders, wide but small chest(she’s a 46C), undefined waist, and narrow hips. The print would focus the eye on the upper-half of her body while the skirt would create hips where there were “none” and balance out her shoulders.
Comment by ChloeMireille — June 28, 2012 @ 1:37 pm
I’m confused by this picture. I find it very annoying when hair gets in the way of actually see a feature of the garment–I want to see that shoulder and what’s going on up there. I think I’d actually like it better if it had both as the left shoulder…
I have all the same no’s as Thea, so this is 100 percent out for me–adding that much volume to a skirt would throw me way off proportion.
I really think there is some potential in the print–the white lilly or orchid with the dark magenta interests me, but I don’t like it carried into the waist area, as it seems chopped there.
Comment by Lisa in SoCal — June 28, 2012 @ 8:05 pm